Primary Names of God
Adonai (אֲדֹנָי)
Lord, Master, Owner
Description
The Hebrew title אֲדֹנָי (Adonai), meaning 'my Lord' or 'my Master,' appears approximately 450 times in the Old Testament, emphasizing God's sovereign lordship, absolute authority, and rightful ownership of all creation. Derived from the singular אָדוֹן (adon), meaning 'lord' or 'master,' the plural intensive form Adonai conveys majesty and supreme authority. This name acknowledges that God is not merely powerful (as Elohim suggests) or faithful (as YHWH emphasizes), but that He possesses absolute right to command, to govern, and to dispose of His creation according to His will. The appropriate human response to Adonai is submission, obedience, and worship.
Unlike YHWH, which was restricted to Israel's covenant God, adon could be used of human masters, kings, or lords (Genesis 24:9, 1 Samuel 25:14), though when applied to deity in its intensive plural form Adonai, it designated the supreme Lord. The name frequently appears in contexts of worship, prayer, and prophetic vision—moments when human creatures consciously acknowledge divine sovereignty. Abraham addresses God as Adonai when questioning the covenant promise (Genesis 15:2), recognizing God's lordship even while expressing human perplexity. Isaiah uses it in his temple vision: 'I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up' (Isaiah 6:1), and again when volunteering for service: 'Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me' (Isaiah 6:8).When Adonai appears alongside יהוה (YHWH) in the Hebrew text, English translations typically render the combination as 'Lord GOD' (small caps LORD for YHWH, regular GOD for Adonai) to distinguish the two divine names occurring together. This combination appears frequently in the Prophets, as in Genesis 15:2: 'Abram said, Lord GOD...' The doubling emphasizes both covenant relationship (YHWH) and sovereign authority (Adonai). Psalm 8:1 contains a different combination: 'O LORD (YHWH) our Lord (Adonai),' distinguishing the covenant name from the title of lordship.
The name's theological import centers on divine sovereignty and human submission. If God is Adonai—Lord and Master—then His people are servants bound to obedience. This was not oppressive slavery but willing, joyful service to the one whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light. David's prayer employs Adonai repeatedly: 'O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant' (2 Samuel 7:28). The prophet's submission to divine lordship appears in Ezekiel's visions, where God addresses him as 'son of man' while Ezekiel responds to the sovereign 'Lord GOD.'
New Testament revelation identifies Jesus Christ as Adonai. Thomas's confession, 'My Lord and my God' (John 20:28), employs the Greek equivalent kurios for Adonai. Paul declares, 'God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father' (Philippians 2:9-11). Christ is Adonai—sovereign Lord to whom every knee will bow, whose authority extends over all creation, whose right to command brooks no rival. The Christian's confession 'Jesus is Lord' acknowledges this absolute sovereignty.
Unlike YHWH, which was restricted to Israel's covenant God, adon could be used of human masters, kings, or lords (Genesis 24:9, 1 Samuel 25:14), though when applied to deity in its intensive plural form Adonai, it designated the supreme Lord. The name frequently appears in contexts of worship, prayer, and prophetic vision—moments when human creatures consciously acknowledge divine sovereignty. Abraham addresses God as Adonai when questioning the covenant promise (Genesis 15:2), recognizing God's lordship even while expressing human perplexity. Isaiah uses it in his temple vision: 'I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up' (Isaiah 6:1), and again when volunteering for service: 'Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me' (Isaiah 6:8).When Adonai appears alongside יהוה (YHWH) in the Hebrew text, English translations typically render the combination as 'Lord GOD' (small caps LORD for YHWH, regular GOD for Adonai) to distinguish the two divine names occurring together. This combination appears frequently in the Prophets, as in Genesis 15:2: 'Abram said, Lord GOD...' The doubling emphasizes both covenant relationship (YHWH) and sovereign authority (Adonai). Psalm 8:1 contains a different combination: 'O LORD (YHWH) our Lord (Adonai),' distinguishing the covenant name from the title of lordship.
The name's theological import centers on divine sovereignty and human submission. If God is Adonai—Lord and Master—then His people are servants bound to obedience. This was not oppressive slavery but willing, joyful service to the one whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light. David's prayer employs Adonai repeatedly: 'O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant' (2 Samuel 7:28). The prophet's submission to divine lordship appears in Ezekiel's visions, where God addresses him as 'son of man' while Ezekiel responds to the sovereign 'Lord GOD.'
New Testament revelation identifies Jesus Christ as Adonai. Thomas's confession, 'My Lord and my God' (John 20:28), employs the Greek equivalent kurios for Adonai. Paul declares, 'God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father' (Philippians 2:9-11). Christ is Adonai—sovereign Lord to whom every knee will bow, whose authority extends over all creation, whose right to command brooks no rival. The Christian's confession 'Jesus is Lord' acknowledges this absolute sovereignty.
Key Verses
And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.